Improvement in the construction of safes



UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE.

FRANCIS I1. VILLIAMS, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN TI-IE CONSTRUCTION OF SFES.

Spec'ijcaton forming part of Letters Patent No. 85,978, dated January19,1869.

To altwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANcls H. WILLIAMS, of Syracuse, in the county ofOnondaga and State of -N ew York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements on Safes and Vaults 5 and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of thisspecification, in which- Iiigure 1, Plato 1, is a front elevation of theimproved safe or vault, having its door hinged to the outside of thesame. Fig. 2, Plate 1, is a vertical section, taken longitudinallythrough the safe or yault, showing its door thrown open and exposing thebolts thereon. 3, Plate 1, is a horizontal section of the safe or vaultwith the door shut. Fig. 4, Plate 2, is a front view of the safe orvault with the door detached. Fig. 5, Plate 2, is a horizontal sectionof a safe or vault having its door applied by hinges, which are whollyupon the inside.'

Fig. 6, Plate 2, is a view in detail of the de vices for operating thebolts and for locking the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

This invention relates particularly to certain new and usefulimprovements on the construction of safes, vaults, and other repositoryfor the preservation of valuable objects.

The first part of my invention consists in constructing the body of asafe or vault with vertical and horizontal partitions in the chamber ofdeposit, which partitions are so applied to the walls surrounding suchchamber as to serve as braces for strengtheningthem against externalpressure and concussion, in the event of the falling of the walls of abuilding during a tire, or an attempt to open the safe by crushing inits walls, as will be hereinafter explained. And in conjunction withsuch internal braces this partof my invention also consists in furtherstrengthening the walls of a safe by casting with or otherwise applyingbraces or brackets to the interior angular corners of the Valls, as willbe hereinafter explained.

The second part of my invention consists in providing for moving fourbolts in four diierent directions by means ot' a spur-wheel, which isapplied upon a shouldered knob-spindle; and in combining with saidfour-throw spur-wheel a device by which this wheel can be locked andprevented from turning, as will be hereinafter explained.

The invention also consists in a door which is so hinged as to beallowed to open and shut with a bodily movement at right angle to thefront face of the safe or vault to which it is hinged, when such door isconstructed with tenons, ribs, or projections upon it, that are adaptedto fit squarely into corresponding recesses made in the jamb or framewhich receives the door, when the door is shut, thereby preventing suchdoor from being pried open, or its bolts from being unduly strained inau attempt to pry it open, as will be hereinafter explained.

The invention finally consists in the application to the door of a safeor other object, of

inside folding hinges, which will allow the` door to swing open or shut,and which will, when the door is shut,'be wholly inelosed and protected,as will be hereinafter explained.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I willdescribe its construction and operation.

The body of the safe which I have repre sented in the accompanyingdrawings is cast ot' one piece of metal, and I prefer to construct thesafe in this manner, as I believe that greater security against eeetingan entrance through its walls will be thereby obtained, than would beobtained by building up the safes ot' separate plates, secured togetherin the manner hitherto adopted. I do not, however, confine my inventionto making the body of a safe of one piece by casting, as the same may bemade ot' separate plates, as above mentioned.

In constructing the body ofthe safe, I form in the chamber ot' depositvertical and horizontal partitions A A, which cross each other and serveas braces for sustaining the walls, inclosing the chamber of depositagainst external pressure and concussion. It' the body of the safe iscast in one piece, the partition walls or braces A will be cast solidwith the walls of the safe, but if the body of the safe is made up ot'separate plates, the braces A will be separately made and secured intheir places.

I also construct upon the inner side ol the body of the safe, along theangles or corners thereof, the brackets a (t which thicken andstrengthen the metal'at such points, and' greatly add to the strength ofthe safe. The

strength which is afforded by the use of braces' The door jamb or frameB, which surrounds the opening leading to the chamber of deposit,

is constructed with grooves or channels g,

which are perpendicular to the front face of the safe, and which areadapted for receiving snugly into them tenons or elevations g, which areformed upon the inner side of the safedoor C.

By thus constructing the door and itting it to its jamb or frame, itwill be seen that-in order to open or close this door, it must be movedbodily and squarely, and cannot be swung open or shut while entering orleaving the opening which it is adapted to close. This feature, broadlyconsidered, is not new, as circular doors have been made withscrew-threads cut upon them and adapted to tit into open ings by givingsuclrdoors one or more turns. I do not desire to claim spiral threadsupon doors, nor do I desire to use a circular door. The grooves andtenons upon the door-jamb and the corresponding` grooves andtenons uponthe door require the door to be moved. in a direction which isperpendicular to the vertical face ot' the safe to open or shutthisdoor, thereby preventing the door from being` pried open by a leverintroduced under or against one of its edges.v I

The safe-door C may be cast solid, or it may be made in any othersuitable manner. It is attached to the front face of the body ot' thesafe by means of sectional folding hinges D l), each one of which iscomposed of two sections or leaves, b b, jointed together by a removablepintle, c, and hin ged respectively to the doorl and its frame. f

These hinges, which are fully described in the schedule annexed to myLetters Patent 4 -numbered 78,851 will allow the door to be moved bodilyinto and out of the opening surrounded by frame B, and will also allowthe door to swing freely. I shall connect the -hingesD D together bymeans of diagonal braces e e e c, as shown in Fig. l, for the purpose otstrengthening them and admitting of the use of comparatively lightleaves b b.

The said braces are secured in a suitable manner to the several pivotsor pintles ot' the hinges, so as to allow the latter to articulatefreely.

Instead of applying hinges to the outside of the door and body of thesafe, it may be found desirable to apply hinges upon the inner side ot'the door and body of the safe. Fig. 5 is a .horizontal section takenthrough the body ot' thesafe, showing a door hinged to` it bymeans' ofinside hinges E, each one of which is constructed of three leaves orsections, so that they will allow the door to be opened and shut. When;the door is shut the hinges E will be entirely inclosed within thechamber of deposit, as indicated in Fig. 5, so that they cannot bereached nor used as a means for effecting an -entrance into the safewhere its door is locked.

.WI will now describe .my improved devices for bolting the door andlocking the bolts. A rhole is drilled centrally through the door andreamed out from the outside so as to enlarge it at and near. its outerend and leave a shoulder f and into this hole a knob-spindle, h, ispassed from the outside, which spindle is also shouldered, so that itcannot be driven through its hole by outside appliances. l

The outer` enlarged end of the spindle h is flush with the outer surfaceof the door, and has a knob, h', attached to it by screws or othersuitable fas'tenings. The inner end of the said spindle has keyed uponit a spur-wheel,

j, and receives also a pin, k. Theispur-wheel, I has a cylindricalportion, i, formed on it, which is fitted into a recess made in thedoor, as shown in Iiig. 3. `'Ihe teeth of wheelj engage with four racks,Gr G r G G', two of which move in opposite directions vertically, andtwo move '-in opposite directions horizontally. These .racks work insuitable guides, and have the bolts J J applied to their outer ends, allof which bolts are thrown out or retracted simultaneously by turning theknob-spindle lb. I have represented two bolts upon the outer end of eachrack-bar, but in practice one bolt, or several, may be employed, andformed on or secured to each rack-bar in any suitable manner.

In Figs. 2 and 6, Ihave represented a notched bar, 7c, applied to theinner face of the door O, on one side of the spur-wheel j, and arrangedVto slide in suitable guides s. This bar represents the bolt of a lock,andis designed to engage with-one of the teeth of wheel j, and preventthis wheel from turning. I have represented a key, L, applied to thesliding bar k,

-for moving it back and-forth, but, in practice, any well-known lockmechanism which will answer the purpose may be employed for moving thesaid bar.

I am aware that it is not newto employ jointed connections for movingseveral bolts in opposite directions, and therefore I shall not claimthis feature broadly. The employment of a single spur-wheel withrack-bars, as described, obviates the difficulties attending jointedlinks or levers, and is more certain in its operations.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The safe or vault with partition-braces YA in its chamber of deposit,whether such safe or vault be constructed of one or more fpieces,substantially as described.

2. Thickening the walls of zt safe at the interior angles thereof bycasting its interior corners or angles in the form shown.

3. Constructing the door C with tenons g upon it adapted to entersquarely into corresponding recesses formed in the frame B of the door7substantially as described.

4. The application of hinges E Wholly upon the inside of the door anddoor-frame of a safe or other structure, substantially as described.

Witness my hand in matter of my application for zt patent i'orimprovement in bank safe and bolt.

F. ll. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses R. T. CAMPBELL, J. N. CAMPBELL.

